


A Walk In The Woods

by look_turtles



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 05:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19805605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/look_turtles/pseuds/look_turtles
Summary: Ray takes a walk





	A Walk In The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the ds_flashfiction Prompt: Bob Ross painting titles: A Walk In The Woods

Twack Twack Twack

Ray was in front of the cabin he shared with Fraser. He was chopping wood and with each strike of his ax, the twacking sound rang through the trees.

He raised the ax with its worn wooden handle and brought it down onto a log, splitting the log neatly in two. He lowered his ax and stuck it into the stump he was using as a log splitting table.

His body was covered in sweat and the sun warmed his back. He had once told Fraser that the outdoors gave him a rash, but he thought he wasn’t too bad at all this nature stuff. The pile of spilt logs around his feet were poof of that.

He didn’t mean to brag, but he thought of himself as a log splitting machine. He didn’t spilt logs just because they needed them to keep warm in the winter, sometimes he would have so much energy that it would feel like his mind was going ninety miles an hour with a full tank of gas. Back in Chicago when he felt like that he would go to the gym and pound the heavy bag.

There weren’t any gyms around so he had to improvise. 

As a kid, teachers used to say he was a trouble maker, but really he was just hyper and sometimes bored. 

He gathered up his spilt logs and piled them high just outside the cabin. His brain was still buzzing along like a bee on crack and his arms felt achy but that was nothing a hot shower couldn’t fix. At least he didn’t have to use Fraser’s smelly yak rub, not that he minded Fraser rubbing him all over.

He then went inside and looked around with a smile of his face.

The cabin was small, but it was filled with stuff from his and Fraser’s life. His leather jacket hung on a hook next to Fraser’s pea coat. He ran his fingers over the coat’s rough, dark blue wool fabric. It really was a shame that Fraser only wore in the winter, Fraser looked great in it, but then he looked good in anything.

He kicked off his boots and wiggled his toes.

He walked through the living room and saw Dief laying on their couch with his nose buried in Ray’s poncho. 

He went over to Dief and ran his fingers through Dief’s soft fur.

‘Hey, buddy. You wanna go for a walk later?’ Ray asked him.

Dief’s tail wagged and he licked Ray’s fingers. 

Ray grinned. ‘I’ll take that as a yes. I gotta take a shower first,’ Ray said as he sniffed his pits. He smelled ripe, but chopping wood would do that to a guy. Fraser often said that Ray had a wonderful scent, but Ray thought that he smelled like an old sock dipped in garbage. 

He went over to Spot’s turtle tank and picked up Spot. Spot popped his head and legs out of his shell as Ray lifted him to his face.

‘Hey, big guy. You wanna go for a walk too?’

Spot wiggles his legs and moved his head back and forth.

Ray laughed. ‘I thought you’d say yes. Just let me hop in the shower and we’ll go.’

He walked over to the couch and put Spot on top of Dief. Spot buried his face in Dief’s fur and Dief’s tail wagged. They were real buddies just like Ray and Ray.

He might have been angry at Vecchio the first time they met, but that was only because he thought that Vecchio was going to take back Fraser and Ray didn’t know who he would be without Fraser, but has it turned out Fraser had room in his life for both of them as his friends and partners. At least Vecchio had an eye for cars. 

He walked into the bathroom and pulled off his sweat damp shirt and dirty jeans.

He turned on the shower and waited until it warmed up. When the water was warm enough, he stepped under the spray and groaned when the water hit his skin. One of the things he always missed during The Quest was hot running water.

He lathered up and rubbed his soap covered hands all over his body. He washed his hair and stepped out. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at his face.

His hair was a little longer than he liked, he would have to get it cut the next time he went to town and his stubble was getting thick. He was out of razors and while Fraser shaved with a sharp knife, he wasn’t that brave. Knowing his luck he would cut his face to ribbons if he used a knife.

He noticed that the crow’s feet around his eyes were getting deeper, but that just meant he lead a good life (as his mom would say).

Giving himself a thumbs up in the mirror, he made his way to his bedroom.

He threw on a shirt that was a little too tight, all that wood chopping had done wonders for his chest, and he put on some clean jeans and went to get Dief and Spot for a walk.

Dief stood by the front door as his tail wagged. Spot was still on Dief back.

Ray laughed as he picked up Spot, rubbed Spot’s head and sat him back down on Dief’s back. ‘I bet you guys have been looking forward to this?’

He picked up his walking cane, a thick, curved stick Fraser had curved for him and they went for a walk. Dief walked next to Ray with Spot of his back. Spot moved his head around. Even though Spot had been outside many times, he still liked to look around. 

As they walked down the worn path into the woods, sunlight streamed through the threes and Ray let it warm his skin. A gentle breeze blew and he caught a whiff of the sweet smelling wild flowers. Spring and summer might not last long in Canada, but he, Dief and Spot sure did enjoy it while it lasted.

They stopped on top of a hill. Ray picked up Spot and sat him in the grass. Spot made a happy noise as he ate the blades of grass. He thought Fraser was joking when he said that Spot was a species of turtle commonly found in Canada, but he wasn’t joking at all. 

Ray walked up to a large rock and sat down. The warmth from the rock soaked into his jeans. 

Dief came up to Ray and rested his head on Ray’s knee. 

Ray petted Dief. ‘You miss Fraser don’t ya? Don’t worry he’ll be back from patrol soon.’ 

Dief usually went on patrol with Fraser, but he (Dief not Fraser) had gotten a bitch across the way knocked up and he wanted to be there when the puppies were born.

Even though Ray had said it for Dief he also said it for himself. He missed Fraser, but he would never ask Fraser to give up his job. He had learned that from Stella.

They sat there for several minutes and then they went home. As Ray was coming down the path he saw Fraser standing in the doorway of their cabin. He ran up to Fraser and wrapped him in a tight hug. It was like the first time they met and Ray hugged him, but this time Fraser hugged him back just as tightly.

After several moments, they broke the hug and Ray brushed their lips together. Fraser’s lip were rough and chapped and his dark stubble tickled Ray’s face.

They broke the kiss and Ray grinned. ‘I thought you weren’t coming back until next week.’

‘I finished my patrol early and couldn’t wait to see you.’

Dief barked were his was standing next to Ray.

Fraser looked down at Dief with a fond expression. ‘Of course, I missed you and Spot too.’

Fraser took Ray hand and lead him into the cabin. 

He was going to show Fraser just how much he missed him. And he did, many many times.

Later that night, Ray and Fraser were in bed. Fraser was flat on his back and Ray was using Fraser’s chest as a pillow. Ray sighed as Fraser’s fingers combed through Ray’s hair.

For once, Ray’s brain wasn’t buzzing. He was concentrating on the feeling of Fraser’s solid muscles and warm skin. He buried his nose into Fraser’s chest and breathed in Fraser’s cool scent. 

As he laid there he thought that Fraser was like the sunlight on the path in the woods; warm and soothing.


End file.
